1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an anti-AIDS viral agent and anticancer agent comprising polysaccharides which are extracted from nuts, mainly nutshells of deciduous tall trees belonging to the genus Juglans or the genus Cayra of angiosperm Juglandaceae.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At present, various compounds have been proposed as anti-AIDS viral agents and anticancer agents and developed as drugs. However, it is the actual situation that any decisive drug has not yet been obtained in view of effects, side effects, etc.
The present inventors found that substances having an extremely high physiological activity were contained in the extract from nutshells of a pine.
It was positively confirmed by vitro tests and the like that in particular, polysaccharides contained in the extract could activate granulocytes in leucocytes contained in blood and were protective against infectious diseases with E. coli and various viruses including herpes virus and against cancer.
Therefore, the present inventors have further attempted to extract the effective compound from various natural nutshells. As a result, it has been revealed that polysaccharides similar to the substances extracted from the pine nutshells described above are also contained in the extract from shells of nuts belonging to the genus Juglans or the genus Carya of angiosperm Juglandaceae. It has then been confirmed that the polysaccharides have inhibitory effect to viral infections, that is, an effect of preventing proliferation or virus and further have a carcinostatic activity against cancer.